Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Noisy reception awaits TNB 'tower builders'

Some 200 residents have gathered at the entrance to Rawang new village in a last-ditch bid to resist the construction of high tension cable towers by Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB).

They have blocked all three entrances to the village since 7.30am, to deny entry to the TNB team. A bulldozer is parked at the main entrance.

The residents have taken up position at the main entrance, and are keeping up their spirits with songs and speeches.

Some are carrying banners and placards reading 'TNB get out' and 'TNB zalim'.

Rawang assemblyperson Gan Pai Nei, Selayang MP William Leong and PKR director of strategy Tian Chua are at the site.

A TNB lorry has been spotted nearby, but there is no police presence.

Leong said representatives of the villagers and TNB held a meeting yesterday afternoon, but faiedl to reach consensus.

Tan Ah Cai, the adviser to the villagers, told the crowd that TNB had indicated during the meeting that it may use another method of construction that is deemed "safer and which is widely used in Japan".

The "high pole method" is said to have been used around Istana Negara as well.

Bernama reported on Monday that the TNB engineering team will enter new village today, to restart the project which was halted five years ago.

Residents have expressed worry that their homes may be demolished to make way for the towers, which will also divide the village into two.

They took their case to court, but the Federal Court ruled last November that TNB has the right to continue its project.

No comments:

LANGUAGE TRANSLATOR

About Me

Mohd Kamal Abdullah frequently writes in Malaysiakini, MalaysiaToday and in the FORUM column of MALAYSIA CHAT www.malaysia-chat.com. Kamal holds a law degree and was active in Malaysian Politics (a component party of Barisan Nasional) until of late, to concentrate on pursuing a post-graduate law degree in United Kingdom.